Signal Processing Assembly for Pressure Sensor and Pressure Sensor

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/089935, filed on Apr.,, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202211592977.8, filed on Dec. 13, 2022. The disclosures of the above-mentioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The present application relates to the technical field of sensor technology, and in particular to a signal processing assembly for a pressure sensor and a pressure sensor.

A pressure sensor using a pressure sensitive head introduces a pressure fluid on one side of a metal diaphragm and sets a Wheatstone bridge composed of a strain gauge or a thick film piezoresistor on the other side surface to measure pressure, as shown in Chinese Application Publications CN112857635A and CN115406565A.

In order to reduce the lateral size, one idea of the inventors is to set the circuit boards of these pressure sensors vertically, but because the elastic diaphragm needs to be perpendicular to the pressure joint, when a bonding process is used to connect the measurement circuit and the circuit board, it is difficult to complete the bonding efficiently and accurately even if a specially customized device is used for bonding.

The statements in this section only provide background information related to the present application and may not constitute prior art.

The present application provides a signal processing assembly for a pressure sensor and a pressure sensor, which well connects an integrated signal processing circuit with a pressure measurement circuit.

To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions: a signal processing assembly for a pressure sensor, including: a transverse plate, a first flexible plate, a longitudinal plate, a second flexible plate and a first conductive connecting portion connected in sequence; wherein the transverse plate, the longitudinal plate and the first conductive connecting portion are provided in sequence from near to far; and the first conductive connecting portion is electrically connected to a pressure measuring circuit, and the pressure measuring circuit is provided at a transverse plane located at a distal side of the first conductive connecting portion.

In an embodiment, the signal processing assembly for the pressure sensor is mounted at a mounting seat; the mounting seat extends longitudinally; a side portion of the mounting seat is recessed inward to form an accommodating groove for accommodating the longitudinal plate, and a proximal end and a distal end of the mounting seat are opposite to form a top plate and a semicircular bottom plate; the transverse plate is supported and fixed at a proximal surface of the top plate; and the bottom plate is partially blocked at a proximal end of a pressing cylinder.

In an embodiment, at least one first buckle clamped to the longitudinal plate is provided at each of transverse sides of the accommodating groove.

In an embodiment, a side portion of the bottom plate is provided with a give-way opening extending to the bottom plate for the second flexible plate to pass through; and a proximal side of the bottom plate is provided with a second flexible board arrangement groove laterally communicated to the give-way opening.

In an embodiment, an edge of the top plate is provided with a first flexible board arrangement groove extending longitudinally and communicated to the accommodating groove toward a distal side, and the first flexible board arrangement groove and a give-way opening are located at a same position in a circumferential direction of the mounting seat; and at least two pressure riveting columns are provided at a proximal end of the top plate, and the pressure riveting columns are riveted in corresponding rivet holes opened at the transverse plate toward a proximal side.

In an embodiment, a proximal surface of the transverse plate is provided with a plurality of fourth conductive connecting portions.

In an embodiment, the mounting seat is provided with a second buckle for clamping a metal base.

The present application provides a pressure sensor, including:

In an embodiment, the mounting seat extends longitudinally; a side portion of the mounting seat is recessed inward to form an accommodating groove for accommodating the longitudinal plate, and a proximal end and a distal end of the mounting seat are opposite to form a top plate and a semicircular bottom plate; the transverse plate is supported and fixed at a proximal surface of the top plate; and the mounting seat includes a pressing cylinder, and the bottom plate is partially blocked at a proximal end of a pressing cylinder.

In an embodiment, a distal end of the pressing cylinder is pressed against a support step formed at the pressure tap.

In an embodiment, a longitudinal proximal end of the pressure tap extends outward laterally to form a flange, and a proximal end portion of the pressure tap extends outward laterally to form a support connecting ring; the connecting cylinder is sleeved on the flange, and supported and welded on the support connecting ring; and the flange, the support connecting ring and the connecting cylinder are encircled to form a circulation cavity.

In an embodiment, a stress isolation groove is provided between the support step and the support connecting ring.

In an embodiment, at least one first buckle connected to the longitudinal plate is provided at each of lateral sides of the accommodating groove.

In an embodiment, a side of the bottom plate is provided with a give-way opening extending to the bottom plate for the second flexible plate to pass through; and a second flexible board arrangement groove is provided at a proximal side of the bottom plate and is laterally communicated to the give-way opening.

In an embodiment, a disassembling hole extending in a parallel direction to the second flexible board arrangement groove is provided at a side wall of the pressing cylinder, and the disassembling hole extends to a bottom of the accommodating groove.

In an embodiment, an edge of the top plate is provided with a first flexible board arrangement groove extending longitudinally and communicated to the accommodating groove toward the distal end, and the first flexible board arrangement groove and the give-way opening are located at a same position in a circumferential direction of the mounting seat; and at least two pressure riveting columns are provided at a proximal end of the top plate, and the pressure riveting columns are riveted in corresponding rivet holes opened at the transverse plate toward the proximal side.

In an embodiment, the mounting seat is provided with a second buckle for clamping a metal base.

In an embodiment, a second conductive connecting portion is provided at a side portion of the second flexible plate, and the second conductive connecting portion is electrically connected to the metal housing or the pressure tap through a ground pathway embedded in the mounting seat and then grounded; and a third conductive connecting portion is provided at a side portion of the transverse plate, and the third conductive connecting portion is grounded via the metal housing.

In an embodiment, a plurality of fourth conductive connecting portions are provided at a proximal surface of the transverse plate.

In an embodiment, an inner diameter of the proximal end of the pressure channel gradually expands to form a bell mouth.

The signal processing assembly for the pressure sensor of the present application can well connect the integrated signal processing circuit with the pressure measurement circuit.

The technical solution of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present application. In the following description, the same mark is used to represent the same or equivalent elements, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “left”, “right”, etc. is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or position relationship in which the invention product is usually placed when used, or the orientation or position relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the equipment or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

In addition, the terms “mounted”, “connected”, and “connected” should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

It should also be further understood that the term “and/or” used in the specification of this application and the corresponding claims refers to any combination of one or more of the listed items and all possible combinations.

As shown into, the pressure sensor of this embodiment uses such a pressure measurement assembly, and the pressure measurement assembly includes a pressure tapand a pressure sensitive head. A pressure channelextending longitudinally (i.e., the up and down direction in the drawings) is provided in the pressure tap. The longitudinal distal end (i.e., the lower side in the drawings) of the pressure sensitive headis recessed inward to form a distal sensing cavity, and a distal end of the distal sensing cavityis provided with a connecting cylinder. The longitudinal proximal side of the pressure sensitive headis correspondingly formed with an elastic diaphragm. A pressure measurement circuit is provided at the surface of the longitudinal proximal side of the elastic diaphragm. The proximal end of the connecting cylinderis sealedly connected to the pressure tapso that the proximal end of the pressure channelis connected to the sensing cavity. The distal end of the pressure tapis provided with a connecting pipeconnected to the container or pipeline to be measured. The side of the pressure tapmay be provided with a concave or straight circumferential positioning portion. In an embodiment, the pressure measurement circuit is composed of a thick film varistor.

The proximal end of the connecting cylinderis welded to the pressure tap(for example, laser welding). The pressure measurement assembly of this embodiment is configured to be a split structure of the pressure tapand the pressure sensitive head, and is connected as a whole by welding, thereby partially isolating the assembly stress of the pressure tap during installation.

In some other embodiments, the longitudinal proximal end extends outwardly to form a flange, and the proximal end of the pressure tapextends outwardly to form a support connecting ring. The connecting cylinderis sleeved on the flange, and is supported and welded on the support connecting ring. The flange, the support connecting ringand the connecting cylinderare encircled to form a circulation cavity.

In this way, the collapsed welding slag can be collectively accommodated by the annular cavity during welding, thereby avoiding the welding slag blocking the pressure channel.

In order to facilitate the liquid to flow out of the sensing cavity when measuring the pressure of the liquid, the inner diameter of the proximal end of the pressure channelcan gradually expand to form a bell mouth.

In the above embodiments, the pressure channelcan be formed by connecting the small diameter sectionon the proximal side and the large diameter sectionon the distal side, so that the pressure fluid can enter the sensing cavity.

In an embodiment of the present application, the pressure sensor includes a housing, a terminal, a mounting seatand a signal processing assembly, in addition to the above-mentioned pressure measurement assembly. The housingincludes a cartridge housing extending longitudinally and sealedly connected to the distal end to the pressure tap, and an end platethat blocks the longitudinal proximal end of the cartridge housing. The end buttonis fixedly connected to the end plate. For example, the longitudinal middle part of the end buttonmay be formed a neck, the neckpasses through the through hole opened at the end plate, and the two are firmly fixed when the end buttonis injection molded. The terminal, the housingand the pressure tapare encircled to form a mounting cavity. The mounting seatand the signal processing assemblyare both provided in the mounting cavity. The signal processing assemblyis provided at the mounting seatand electrically connected to the pressure measurement circuit. The signal after the signal processing assemblyis output outward through a plurality of electrical connecting members, and one end of the electrical connecting memberis electrically connected to the signal processing assemblyafter passing through the end buttonand the end plateinward. The proximal end of the end buttonmay be provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending first material reduction blind holes

The signal processing assemblymay include a transverse plate, a first flexible plate, a longitudinal plate, a second flexible plateand a first conductive connecting portionconnected in sequence, and the transverse plate, the longitudinal plateand the first conductive connecting portionare provided in sequence from near to far. The first conductive connecting portionand the pressure measurement circuit can be electrically connected by soldering (as shown in the solder jointin). An electronic component(such as a conditioning chip, etc.) may be provided at the longitudinal plate. This arrangement can, on the one hand, control the lateral size of the pressure sensor to be very small, so that it can be easily applied to some relatively small spaces (such as some sensor centralized installation modules on cars); at the same time, it can make the measurement circuit that must be provided horizontally be well and conveniently connected to the longitudinal plate, thereby avoiding the difficulties in the existing bonding connecting process. These difficulties are manifested in that the two ends of the aluminum wire or gold wire in the bonding process should be parallel and the drop should be controlled within 1 mm, otherwise only specially customized equipment can be used for bonding. Especially when the surfaces of the two connecting points are vertical or even non-parallel, it is difficult to complete the bonding efficiently and accurately even when using specially customized equipment.

Please refer toto. In order to reliably install the above-mentioned signal processing assembly, the mounting seatextends longitudinally, the side portion of mounting seatis recessed inward to form an accommodating groovefor accommodating the longitudinal plate, and proximal end and distal end of the mounting seatare relatively formed to form a top plateand a semicircular bottom plate. The transverse plateis supported and fixed at the proximal surface of the top plate. The bottom plateis partially blocked at the proximal end of a pressing cylinder. The distal end of the pressing cylinderis pressed against a support stepformed on the pressure tap. A stress isolation grooveis formed between the support stepand the support connecting ringto further isolate the installation stress of the pressure joint. At least one first buckleclamped on the longitudinal plateis provided at each of the lateral sides of the accommodating groove, thereby avoiding the use of the glue bonding process widely used in the prior art and improving production efficiency. A disassembling holeextending in a parallel direction of the second flexible board arrangement groovecan be provided at the side wall of the pressing cylinder, and the disassembling holeextends to the bottom of the accommodating grooveto facilitate the disassembly of the longitudinal platein the accommodating groove. A give-way openingextending to the bottom platefor the second flexible plateto pass through is provided at the side of the bottom plate. A second flexible board arrangement groovethat is laterally communicated to the give-way openingis provided at the proximal side of the bottom plate. A plurality of second material reducing blind holesmay be provided at the side of the mounting seatthat faces away from the accommodating groove.

A first flexible board arrangement groovethat extends longitudinally and is communicated to the accommodating groovetoward the distal side is provided at the edge of the top plate. The first flexible board arrangement grooveand the give-way openingare located at the same position in the circumferential direction of the mounting seat. At least two pressure riveting columnsare provided at the proximal end of the top plate. The pressure riveting columnsare riveted in the corresponding rivet holeson the transverse platetoward the proximal side. In some other embodiments, the transverse platecan also be fixed to the mounting seatby other means, for example, a circle of pressing flangesformed by the distal longitudinal protrusion of the end buttonis clamped on the mounting seattoward the distal end.

A plurality of fourth conductive connecting portionsare provided at the proximal surface of the transverse plate. The electrical connecting memberis an elastic member, such as a conductive spring, and the distal end of the electrical connecting membercan be electrically contacted with the fourth conductive connecting portionafter being passed through the end buttonand the end plate. In an embodiment, the electrical connecting memberis a conductive spring having two sections with different outer diameters of winding, and a conical transition segmentis formed between the two sections. A holding cavityfor accommodating the electrical connecting memberis correspondingly formed on the terminal button. The holding cavityhas a pressing portion, and the pressing portionpresses the transition segmenttoward the distal side against the fourth conductive connecting portion.

In some other embodiments, the end buttonprotrudes toward the distal side to form a guide column. The guide columnis cooperatively inserted into a guide grooveprovided at the mounting seat. An operating portis provided at the side wall of the mounting seatrelative to the give-way openingto make room for soldering. The distal edge of the operating portcan be recessed toward the distal side to form a notch. The inner side wall of the notchprotrudes to form a second bucklefor clamping the metal base. In this way, the mounting seatand the pressure sensitive headcan be conveniently fixed. The pressing cylindercan protrude inward or be pressed to form a circumferential positioning guide, and the metal basecan correspondingly form a guide groove that cooperates with the circumferential positioning guide.

In some other embodiments, a third conductive connecting portionis provided at the side of the transverse plate. A second conductive connecting portionis provided at the side of the second flexible plate. The second conductive connecting portionis electrically connected to the metal housingor the pressure tapthrough the grounding pathway embedded in the mounting seatand then grounded. The third conductive connecting portionis grounded via the housing.

The scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the detailed description, but by the claims and their equivalents, and all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are interpreted as included in the present disclosure.